By Gregg Winsor
Special to TV Barn
I find "Project: Runway" riveting, even though it's a show about fashion design -- a topic I know absolutely nothing about, since my sense of fashion comes from whatever's on the pallet at Costco. The show pits designers against each other on challenges like who can make the best dress out of materials bought at a supermarket, or who can make the best prom dress for a group of demanding high school girls. Creative and skilled people make great-looking designs out of virtually nothing within just a few hours.
Since we're down to the final five contestants on this final season for "Project: Runway" on the Bravo network, you might want to take a look at what's been going on. Even though season five has been, by far, the weakest season in the show's history, it's still far, far better than any episode of a show that involves some poor schmuck in a safety helmet hurtling toward a Styrofoam wall with a human-shaped cut-out.
This season is the last one for "Project Runway" on Bravo, as the producers got a sweet offer to move over to the Lifetime network (the debut's been pushed to 2009). Bravo's treated the show like spoiled leftovers ever since, doing little promotion on the new season and endlessly rerunning shows from previous seasons, trying to wring all the cash they can from it.
Something certainly seemed off, as season 5's designers didn't come out of the gate aggressively at all. People played it safe, thinking that the best strategy was to be just good enough to get by rather than take a risk on a design that might dazzle the judges.
So, if you're jumping in right now, what do you need to know about the final five? Here are my judgments and predictions about who will be in and who will be out.
Suede: All you need to know about Suede, except that 'Suede' is certainly not his real name, is that Suede constantly refers to himself in the third person, as in "Suede thinks that Suede will easily win this challenge." And yes, it is as annoying on television as it is here. He's a better-than-average designer but has no spark, no wow factor that makes you sit up and take notice. He's filler, and shouldn't be sticking around for too much longer.
Korto: One of the better designers of the bunch. Korto was originally from West Africa and brings a unique sense of style to the show. Her designs are hip, simple, and sophisticated, and quite honestly are a breath of fresh air. Which is why, of course, she won't win: hip, simple, and sophisticated is great and all, but if her game has one weakness it's that her dresses tend to lack glamour, which is what is what high fashion is all about. If your design doesn't look like something Angelina Jolie could wear on the red carpet, some judges just aren't going to buy it. Consistently good all season long, she's certain to be in the top three.
Kenley: Do you remember that bratty girl in high school who sat in the back of the room, talked bad about everyone behind their back, and had an annoying laugh so loud that the rest of the class could hear it? That's Kenley. She also has a high-pitched voice that has a whining tone to it, so that listening to her speak makes my finger involuntarily twitch in the direction of the mute button. That said, she's an excellent designer with a vintage 1950s feel to her work, and she might well be the season's dark horse. However, she does have the habit of talking back to the judges, including getting on the wrong side of host Heidi Klum. (Too bad this show isn't live; wouldn't you want to hear Kenley offer Heidi an unsolicited review of her Emmy performance!--AB)
Kenley is one of those people who does what she wants regardless of the opinions of those around her; she routinely ignores the advice of fashion guru Tim Gunn, who keeps everyone on schedule and offers wisdom and critique while the designers work on their projects. Ignore Heidi Klum all you want, but for true fans of the show, dissing Tim Gunn is a sin punishable by death by pinking shears.
Leanne: If Kenley was the bratty teen, her target would have probably been someone like Leanne. Mousy, timid, and more than a bit strange, Leanne can either blow the judges away with a truly inspired design or else make something that looks like it came off an H.R. Pufnstuf character. You never quite know which one you'll get. But she is one of the few designers this season who can really deliver some next-level product when she's on, which she has been more often than not recently. I expect her to do well and make it to the final three, unless she crashes and burns in a fiery ball of tackiness. If there's one person this season who could give last season's winner, wunderkind Christain Soriano, a run for his money, it's her.
Jerell: Jerell's another one that I like. He always has a smile on his face, has a positive attitude, has a keen sense of style, and he's peaking at just the right time. Also, and perhaps more importantly, he's one of the more fun people to watch, especially during the interview segments when he's away from the rest of the cast and talking directly to the camera. Then he gets delightfully catty and offers funny and pointed commentary on his fellow designers.
This is something that all the great reality-show contestants do, including Dan, who recently won this season's version of "Big Brother." I'm surprised more reality show contestants don't work on being better in these interview segments, as it's their chance to pull the audience in and make us root for them. Jerell's a natural, and I'm rooting for him.
Spoilers exist all over the net if you know where to look, which I haven't, so my predictions might be already completely off the mark. But my money's on Korto, Jerell, and Leanne in the final three, with Leanne taking the victory. And we'll stay tuned to next season to see if "Project: Runway" can comfortably fit alongside "Golden Girls" reruns.
Gregg Winsor is a stay-at-home dad and librarian in Kansas.
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